Here's how Bodhi Tree created a web series on a lockdown during the lockdown

While most of us have been binge-watching shows during the coronavirus-driven lockdown, considering the limited options of entertainment, there were those who were busy making one.

Just after the lockdown was announced, producer Sukesh Motwani of Bodhitree Multimedia, along with his team came up with an idea of a show about a lockdown in a lockdown.

“We were brainstorming and writing for our future shows on Netflix and on TV and this is just after the lockdown was announced. This is when we got the idea: what if there is a big family in a lockdown, which is scattered but the family talks on video call and what if one of them contracts the coronavirus,” said Motwani.

Then started the process of bringing together a four-episode thriller web series called The Gone Game. Starring in the series are actors Sanjay Kapoor, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Arjun Mathur, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Indraneil Sengupta, Rushkar Rehman, and Lubna Salim.

The series, which has been shot completely during the lockdown with the team and the actors having met only virtually, will release on VOOT in the first half of August.

Now, let’s break down each stage of making the web series during the lockdown.

Writing

Writing was especially challenging, said Motwani. “It has to be in such a way that the viewers get a seamless feel. But, all the actors could not have met physically. So, shots had to be written keeping in mind the given situation."

“Even if the actors were in the same house, the director had to shoot them in different parts of the house to give the feeling that all are part of one,” he explained further.

The challenge was how not make it look like a production that was compromised. The point was not to call good actors together and assemble them over a call. This we kept in mind in the scripting stage, he added.

Planning

The actors, directors, directors of photography (DoP) came together for virtual workshops.

“We also saw the houses of the actors on video before starting to shoot as their place played an important part in the series,” said Motwani.

During the workshop, the DoPs constantly instructed actors to show the frame. They also checked the lights in the house to understand how to build the best block.

In addition, the actors were asked to change the props to make the blocks look prettier, and better suited for their respective roles.

Before the shooting started, there was a group reading done with every one which was followed by a one-on-one reading of actors with director.

Even costumes were decided before the shooting began.

“For costumes, actors shared pictures. A costume sheet for every scene was made and shared with the actors,” said Motwani.

From writing to casting, April and May went in planning. Motwani said that “while time taken was the same when compared to a shoot during pre-COVID period, the process of shooting a series remotely was entirely different."

"Pre-COVID period involved physical meetings and actors shooting together. But, when it comes to shooting remotely, pre-production process was tougher," he added.

Shooting

Shooting was not easy either. The director was on video call with the actors and the DoP, directing in terms of emotion, frame, lighting, etc.

Unlike pre-COVID times, there were different cameras as every actor had a different phone which they used for shooting. However, this issue was settled as the production house sent iPhones to actors who didn’t have it.

Another technical challenge was not having a master shot. A master shot is a long shot where all characters are present. Usually, a master shot is used as an establishing shot. Motwani and his team tried to achieve the same feel but with actors in different spaces.

Acting

It wasn’t business-as-usual for the actors as they had to do more than just act.

“The actors had to do their errands at home because most of them did not have help at home. So, they were cooking or cleaning. They were also at home with their families, so there was this challenge that they could not shoot beyond six hours. A regular shift wasn’t applicable,” said Motwani.

Adding to this, Shriya Pilgaonkar, said, “It’s definitely not easy pulling off a home shoot of this nature where you have to basically be a one-man army doing the set up for art, hair, makeup, manage everything by yourself and act.”

“There were days when I shot for 12 hours a day, which was really hectic; on other days, the shoot went on for 6 hours. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support and cooperation of my family, so I’m really grateful for that. The funniest part was getting my dog out of the frame constantly,” she added.

Indraneil Sengupta, another actor featuring in the series,  said that shooting for an entire web series without meeting anyone – from the co-actors to director – was an experience in itself.

“The DoP explained to us how to place phone cameras, the kind of shots that were required, the resolution that was needed to match that of the other actors. If I had a scene with Arjun (Mathur), they would send me his scene so that I could perform accordingly. Technical aspects were difficult to take care of. My wife Barkha helped me in shooting.”

While it was tough, we got to know the process that happens behind the scenes, added Sengupta.

Editing

Post-production was no easy job, especially stitching together scenes with no masters, and cleaning the audio. The editing usually happens with the director and editor sitting together, but this time it was all virtual.

"Editing took longer as there were many shots and there were no cue sheets. There was also a lot of graphic work and Manish Mistry, who is a very senior editor, has done great editing work," Motwani said.

In four months, with all the challenges, The Gone Game is all set to entertain audiences. But when it comes to web series, restarting production work still remains limited, unlike for TV serials.